If you were injured in a fast food restaurant in New Jersey, you may want to consider your legal options. Give our firm a call today to learn more and speak with our skilled Essex County slip and fall accident attorneys. We are on your side.
How do slip and fall accidents happen at fast food restaurants?
Fast food restaurants have more possible dangers than most businesses because of the messy nature of working with food and its fast-paced setting. Some specific ways that people slip and fall in a fast food restaurant include the following:
- Fall over residue left on the floor or damaged surfaces in the parking lot
- Slip on a spill near the soda dispenser
- Slide on water or trip over a loose tile in the bathroom
- Trip over an upside-down rug or mat
- Slide on fallen food
It is essential to recognize that the above-mentioned reasons are not a comprehensive list and not every person that slips and falls in a fast food restaurant may be able to acquire monetary compensation for their injuries.
Who can be held liable for a slip and fall accident in New Jersey?
If you fall and sustain an injury, you may decide to file a lawsuit against the establishment for which the happening took place. Once you choose to seek legal action, it is then up to you, the injured party, to demonstrate that the company or employees are responsible for your injury. This will require evidence of liability or negligence.
How do I establish negligence?
When establishing liability or negligence, you will want to demonstrate that the property owner or manager should have known about the dangerous condition because any reasonable person would know and warn customers in a similar instance. You may also want to indicate that the property owner, manager, or employee caused the dangerous condition and should have reasonably assumed that someone would slip and fall.
The standard for reasonableness is founded on how the typical, prudent person would take on the problem. Some other factors that you should think about when trying to figure out if the defendant was negligent include the following:
- Did the property owner, manager, or employees have a policy that required a routine check of the property for potential hazards? If they did, is there a record to show that these requirements were satisfied?
- How was the lighting and visibility in the area where you experienced the fall?
- Did the dangerous condition or obstacle exist long enough that the property owner had more than enough time to take action and remove it?
- Was any warning signage or barrier to prevent access present that could make the dangerous condition less serious?
- Did the property owner or manager have a good excuse for creating the hazard? If they did, is there a reason for how long it was there?
Demonstrating liability in a slip-and-fall case can be difficult. The first response of the property owner is generally to argue that you are either fully or partially responsible for the incident. The burden to prove otherwise is your obligation.
Contact our Experienced New Jersey Firm
If you have been injured due to the negligence of another party, contact the Law Office of Christopher T. Howell, Esq. for a free consultation today.
